This invention relates to a star drag handle type double-bearing reel with a level wind mechanism for uniformly winding a fishing line on the spool, and particularly such a reel in which the handle can be set on the left as well as on the right.
A conventional double-bearing reel of this type has been disclosed by Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 12925/1985 (the term "OPI" as used herein meaning "an unexamined published application"). However, the conventional double-bearing reel is disadvantageous in that the drag tightening direction (i.e., the drag force increasing direction) when the reel is operated with the handle on the right of the reel is opposite to that when the reel is operated with the handle on the left. For instance, the handle is turned in one direction to increase the drag in the former case, whereas the handle must be turned in the reverse direction in the latter case. Therefore, the conventional double-bearing reel is not satisfactory in operability. Furthermore, in the conventional double-bearing reel, the supporting cylinder shaft, the interlocking cylinder shaft, and the handle shaft form a triple layer structure. Thus, the composite shaft mechanism is intricate, which causes various problems in practical use, in manufacture, and in cost.